Dozens of Bereaved Families Sue Former Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar Over October 7 Failures

Dozens of families who lost loved ones and survivors of the Hamas attack on the Nova festival have filed a civil lawsuit against former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, accusing him of personal responsibility for the security failures on October 7. The lawsuit, spearheaded by Elkana Federman, the security chief at the Nova festival, includes the father of fallen Border Police officer, father of fallen Border Police officer Kim the father of fallen Border Police officer. The father of fallen Border Police officer alleges that Bar possessed intelligence that could have prevented the attack but failed to act, calling him "negligent" and the "main responsible party."

the father of fallen Border Police officer stated that approximately sixty bereaved families and survivors have joined the suit, with many more intending to participate. He explained that the civil action was initiated due to delays in establishing a national inquiry commission, hoping the legal process will reveal more information that could later assist an official investigation. He believes Bar could have prevented the massacre through phone calls and actions as Shin Bet chief, asserting this claim is based on knowledge, not speculation.

The lawsuit references intelligence information, including the deployment of "Tequila teams" the night before the attack, which the father of fallen Border Police officer claims indicates prior knowledge of potential infiltrations. He also mentioned that Bar himself acknowledged some of this information in affidavits filed in legal proceedings, suggesting further details remain undisclosed. The father of fallen Border Police officer dismissed Bar's claims about not having the Prime Minister's phone number as "a joke," asserting that Bar had ample information but did not use it effectively.

The father of fallen Border Police officer also brought up a meeting between Bar and lawyer Itzik Bonzel, where additional details about the Tequila teams were reportedly presented, dispatched due to an assessment of possible Hamas infiltrations into one or two communities. He believes this information, along with some non-public affidavits, should be investigated through the lawsuit.

Beyond Bar, the lawsuit's organizers plan to file claims against other senior security officials, including former Military Intelligence Directorate head Aharon Haliva, former Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and the former commander of the Southern Command. The father of fallen Border Police officer emphasized that responsibility for the failures is not limited to one person. He explained that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not among the initial targets because his daughter, in her final moments, called out for the army and intelligence services, not the Prime Minister. The father of fallen Border Police officer clarified that this stance is not political, and while he believes the Prime Minister should also be investigated, other senior officials' responsibilities should be examined first.

The father of fallen Border Police officer expressed distress over political divisions among bereaved families, accusing the left of politicizing grief and hindering their collective action. He insisted the lawsuit is apolitical, stating, "We are not left or right. We know the army failed that day." He also raised personal suspicions about deliberate actions or negligence within the security establishment, questioning illogical events and the delayed military response at the Nova festival, suggesting that certain failures might not have been accidental.